Automobile signal



July 9,1929. D. D. VAN OSDOL AUTOMOBILE S IGNAL Filed Jan. 23,. 1928 BEEIHVEHTOR, D4 wson 0 Win Qsdol,

Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES DAWSON D. VAN OSDOL, F BUSHVILLE, INDIANA.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

Application filed January 23, 1828. Serial No. 248,581.

My invention comprises a new and novel signal especially adapted for useon automobiles though having application in all instances where avisible signal is to be employed. The invention is described herein asinstalled on an automobile.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1, is afragmentary front elevation of my signal as applied to the upperleft-hand corner of an automobile;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the signal from the outer side;

Fig. 3, a top plan view of the signal;

Fig. 4, an elevation of the inner end of the sign holder;

Fig. 5, an elevation of the signal control sector;

Fig. 6, a side elevation from the outer end of a modified form of thesignal;

Fig. 7 a vertical section on the line 7-7 in Fig. 6; a

Fig. 8, a vertical section on the line 88 in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9, a detail in fragmentary elevation on an enlarged scale of thesignal position retaining means as employed in the modified form in Fig.6.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews in the drawing.

I form a box-like structure 10 with a plurality of faces 11 here shownas four in number, in which are formed characters 12 that may beilluminated from within. In installations where it is desired to presentthe same indication to the rear as well as from the front of the signalas in an automobile, I place the same word on the opposing faces so thatregardless of how the box 10 is rotated on its longitudinal axis, thesame sign will be observable from the rear as from the front, as inFigs. 1 and 3, where the word presented is Right to indicate a righthand turn, the word being visible from both fore and aft of theautomobile.

The box 10 is carried from its inner end by a base 13 preferably made ofan insulating material. A receptacle 14 is carried on the base 13 toreceive a lamp 15 within the box 10.

A wire 16 leads from the receptacle 14 to without the base 13 to be inpermanent electrical contact with the bar 17 which extends substantiallyalong one side of the base 13 and angularly down on the adjacent face,the barbeing spaced back slightly from the edge of the base 13. I

The base 13 is carried by the arm 18 which extends diagonally from thebase 13 to be pivotally attached to the bracket 19, which bracket has aforwardly depended leg 20 against which the bar 17 may be contacted anda rearwardly depended leg 21 which also may be contacted by the bar 17when the box 10 is swung rearwardly. From the rear end of the leg 21 isextended a foot 24 which is at tached to a suitable post 25 on theautomobile 23. The under edges of the legs 20 and 21 are so positionedin respect to the pivot point of the arm 18 that in swinging the box 10from the leg 20 where the word Right is displayed fore and aft from thevertically positioned faces, the box 10 will be revolved substantiallydegrees to bring the adjacent faces to vertical positions in which arefound the word Left and-the faces having the word Right therein arelying in horizontal positions-this position being indicated by thedotted line position of the box 10', Fig. 2.

The box 10 normally tends to hang in the position 10, midway between theRight and Left indicating positions. In this mid-position, the box 10has all faces turned to 45 degrees to the horizontal so that while aboth the words Right and Left are presented from both front and back ofthe box 10, the angle of inclination of the words is such that they arenot readily discernible and do not present any definite signal.

In order to attract attention and increase the visibility of the signal,the lamp 15 is supplied with current to illuminate the words in the boxfaces only when the box 10 is rocked to either its extreme fore or aftpositions when the signal Right or Left respectively is given. A secondwire 22 leads from the receptacle 14 to any suitable source of currentsupplied by the automobile 23, such as a storage battery 27. A wire 26in permanent electrical connection with the bracket 19 through its foot24 also is in permanent connection with the battery. The electricalcircuit is completed from the battery 27 through the lamp 15 wheneverthe box 10 is swung either forwardly or rearwardly to bring the bar 17into contact with the bracket 19 through either leg 20 or leg 21.

To swing the box 10 to show the desired signal, I pivotally attach therod 29 to the arm 18 and carry it back into the automobile where it ispivotally secured to the arm 30 of a bell crank, and a rod 31interconnects with the arm 32 of the bell crank and the operating lever33. The lever 33 is actuated in association with the sector 34 wherebythe lever 33 may be held at any one of three positions corresponding tothe three positions of the box 10 as indicated in Fig. 2.

In some cases, there is not suflicient room for the bracket 19, and themodified form as shown in Figs. 6, 7 8 and 9 is employed. In this formthe same box 10 is employed, but is carried by a base 35 which has aspur gear 36 formed at its inner edge. A bracket 37 is attached to theautomobile 23 and has a hollow spindle 38 over which the base 35 isrevolvably fitted. A retaining thimble 39 passes through the spindle 38and has its inner and outer ends flared to retain the base 35 on thespindle 38. The lamp 15 is carried within the box 10 in the receptacle40 and has one of its lead wires 41 passed back through the thimble tothe storage battery 3 27. The bracket 37 is also in permanent electricalconnection with the battery. The base 35 is preferably madeof'insulating material and has three buttons 42, 43, and 44 inserted onits inner face.

A spring tongue 45 extends outwardly from the bracket 37 to pressnormally and yieldingly against the face of the gear 36 in the path ofthe buttons. The buttons are so spaced that button 42 is under and incontact with the tongue 45 when the box 10 is in the position as shownin Figs. 6 and 7, being the position when the word Right is in thevertical position on both the front and rear faces of the box 10 (Fig.8). Button 43 is spaced from button 42, so that when the box 10 isrevolved on the spindle 38, to the position corresponding to 10 in Fig.2, the button 42 comes into contact with the tongue 45. Button 44 isspaced around from the button 43 to be contacted-by the tongue 45 whenthe box 10 has been further revolved to carry the word Right to thehorizontal positions and the word Left to the vertical positions. Thetongue 45 is cupped (Fig. 9), on its contacting end to fit over thebuttons to yieldingly re tain the box 10 in any one of the threepositions. The second lead wire 47 from the receptacle 40 is permanentlyconnected tothe button 42, and a wire 48 leads from the button 42 to thebutton 44. The button 43 serves merely as a stop and is not in anyelectrical circuit.

To revolve the box 10, a rack bar 46 is slidingly carried by the bracket37 to mesh with the gear 36, and a rod 49 extends from the bar 46 to anysuitable actuating mechanism such as the lever 33 in Fig. 2.

Having described my invention in minute detail, it is obvious thatconsiderable variation from the structure shown and described may bemade within the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desireto be limited to that precise structure, nor any more than may berequired by. the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile signal device, the combination with a four-sidedrockable case having like indicia on its diametrically opposite sideslegible from .two opposite directions, said case standing normally withits indicia oblique to the direction of movement of the auto-mobile, ofmanually controlled means for selectively rocking the case in eitherdirection to a position presenting two of said sides at right angles tothe direction of movement of the automobile.

In an auton'robile signal device, the combination with a rockable casehaving four sides with like transparencies on its diametrically oppositesides, said case standing normally with its sides oblique to thedirection of movement of the automobile, saidcase having means forilluminating the transparen-. cies, of manually controlled meansforseleetively rocking the case to present two of said sides at rightangles to the direction of movement of the automobile.

3. In an automobile signal device,.the combination of a supportingbracket, an arm pivotally hung fro-m the bracket said bracket having aleg extending to each side from the arm, a four-sided case carried onthe arm having like indicia on its diametrically opposite sides legiblefrom two opposite directions, said case standing-normally with itsindicia oblique to the direction of movement of the automobile, andmeans for. swinging the arm selectively toward and upwardly and againsteither of said legs to a position presentingtwo of said sides at rightangles to the direction of position upon release of saidswingmg means. r

In testimony whereof I'afiix my signature.

DAWSON D. VAN OSDOL.

